Spoonful of Sugar Free

Registered Dietitian

Health

Raw Christmas Cookies

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Hello everybody! Christmas is only four days away, so that means it is time to bake Christmas cookies!

Or should I saw it is time to “unbake” Christmas cookies?

Raw Cookies and a glass of almond milk for Santa! Santa might be losing some of his belly this year...

Santa Clause will love these little gems, and so will all of your friends and family members! I am making a huge batch to give to close friends.

This picture is stolen from Katie...Sorry, Katie, but your picture is just too cute! Also, I ate all of my cookies before pictures were taken, and then I ran out of almonds to make more 🙁

Raw Gingerbread Men or Ginger Snaps

  • 5 dates
  • 1 cup almonds
  • 1/4 tsp ground or minced ginger (fresh or powdered)
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp nutmeg
  • pinch of salt

Place all in a food processor or strong blender and blend until smooth. I usually don’t measure the ingredients and just taste test until I find the right flavor, so feel free to add more or less of what I stated above. Shape the dough into cookies or roll out on parchment paper and stamp gingerbread men out. I find that it is easier to work with the dough when it is chilled, so you may want to refrigerate the dough for ten minutes before shaping it. I also think it tastes better chilled, too 🙂

Remember Girl Scouts cookies? My favorite was the thin mint! Well, these taste just like raw thin mints!

Raw Mint Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

  • 5 dates
  • 1 cup walnuts
  • 1/4 cup cocoa powder
  • 1/8-1/4 tsp peppermint extract
  • pinch of salt

Place all ingredients in a food processor or strong blender and process until smooth. I like the walnuts to stay a bit chunky, but this is up to you. SHape the dough into balls or cookies and enjoy!

Thought-provoking, mind-prodding question of the day:

What is your favorite Christmas cookie? I don’t necessarily have a favorite, but I do like making sugar cookies to decorate. I love making cookies, just not eating them.

Also, did you set out cookies for Santa when you were a kid? We always did (do!). We make set out cookies, milk, and a note for Santa. Then we sprinkle oatmeal, sparkles, and carrots in the front yard for the reindeer.

Personal Note: I am going to spend Christmas with my grandparents in Arizona! I am leaving the 23rd and will be there for a week. Therefore, I might not be able to reply to my comments until I get back (I will be having too much fun to sit on a computer!). However, please comment away! I will get to them when I come back home. Also, I have posts set up throughout the week for you all to read! There will be a couple of recipes, and Christmas story (remixed).


Sugar-Free “Bread” Pudding

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First off, the randomly chosen Winner of the Agar Agar Powder giveaway is…

Elaine!

Congratulations, Elaine! You will receive an email from me shortly. I hope you enjoy your Agar!

Bread Pudding is a great, traditional holiday treat. For those on gluten-free diets or calorie-restrictions, however, it could be a nightmare! This baked bread pudding uses rice cakes in place of the bread. No expensive gluten-free breads required! It is also an innovative way to transform the plain, boring rice cakes into something festive. For under 100 calories per serving, who wouldn’t love this dessert?

Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free “Bread” Pudding with Almond Cream Sauce

Ingredients

  • 5 rice cakes
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 cups milk or milk substitute (like coconut, almond, or rice milk)
  • 1 Tablespoon vanilla
  • 1 teaspoon grated orange peel
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ cup dried fruit pieces (like raisins, dates, cherries, or a mix)
  • 1 recipe of Almond Cream Sauce (Recipe below)

Preheat oven to 350°. In a bowl, beat together the eggs, milk, vanilla, orange peel, and cinnamon. Next, break the rice cakes into small pieces and place in a 2-quart square baking dish. Toss the rice cake pieces with the dried fruit, and pour the egg mixture over the top.

Bake in the oven for 45 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean. Serve warm, and if desired, drizzle the almond cream sauce on top before serving. Makes 8 servings

Nutrition Facts (per serving): 98 calories, 3.5 g fat, 12.5 g carbohydrates, 1 g fiber, 4 g protein

More Ideas: Try substituting some juice or juice concentrate for some of the milk. This will give the pudding a more fruit flavor, and add a bit of sweetness. Also, try adding in some chopped nuts before baking. For those who wish to sweeten the dessert a bit more, try mixing a small drizzle of honey or a few drops of liquid stevia to the egg mixture before baking.

Almond Cream Sauce:

~This optional cream sauce compliments the bread puddings flavor. The almond extract gives the sauce an excellent taste, and the yogurt gives it great nutritional value.

  • 1 cup plain yogurt (Make your own dairy-free yogurt with THIS RECIPE)
  • ¼ cup milk or milk substitute
  • ¼-½ teaspoon almond extract

Whisk ingredients in a saucepan until well combined. Heat over medium heat until warm.

Benefits

  • Rice-A Whole Grain full of Fiber and low in calories. It is fast energy that contains a good source of Vitamin B1, Vitamin D, Calcium, and iron. Other benefits include skin care, resistance to high blood pressure, dysentery and heart diseases.
  • Yogurt-Has natural probiotics that help aid in digestion.
  • Cinnamon-Studies have shown that it can help lower LDL cholesterol, help regulate blood sugar levels, has anti-clotting effect on blood, and it can boost cognitive function and memory.
  • Orange Peel-Contains lots of antioxidants, and the scent can help people feel more awake.

Thought-provoking, mind-prodding question of the day:

For those who have made “restrictions” in your diet (dairy-free, gluten-free, vegan, sugar-free, exc.), is there a food that you miss?

I have to say that I really miss Hot Chocolate with marshmallows and eggnog during the Holiday Season. It is always a great holiday memory coming home from sledding in the freezing cold to put your frozen toes up by the fire and sip some nice hot cocoa!

 


Twelve Days of Christmas Recipes

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I present to you “The Twelve Days of Christmas” by Alex.

On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me:

Twelve Pick-a-Fruit Crisps,

Eleven Grain-Free Pumpkin Spice Breads,

Ten Baked Banana Oatmeals,

Nine Raw Coconut-Iced Barks,

Eight Sugar-Free Monsters,

Seven Peanut-Chocolate Truffles,

Six Healthy Pumpkin Rolls,

Five Leftover Salsa Bowls,

Four Apple Pies in Bowls,

Three Hobo Dinners,

Two Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes,

And a Grain-Free Bitter Chocolate Cake for One!

Thought-provoking, mind-prodding question of the day:

Do you have any recipes planned for the Holidays yet? I actually have a lot more Christmas-y recipes to post, so I better get them up before the Holidays pass by!

What is your favorite Holiday song? There are so many of them, but I think I would have to choose Greensleeves! It is my favorite one to sing!

P.S. Don’t forget to enter my Agar Agar giveaway! Today is the last day to enter!


Apple Pie in a Bowl

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Check out my guest post at The Flourishing Foodie by clicking

HERE.

While your at it, make yourself a nice, hot bowl of Apple Pie for Breakfast.

Apple Pie in a Bowl

~On a cold winter morning, make this quick apple pie in less than five minutes. Then, sit by the fire and enjoy breakfast with Christmas music on!

Ingredients

  • One Apple
  • A handful of chopped walnuts
  • A sprinkle of cinnamon
  • A dash of water

Chop the apple into little bits. Put all ingredients into a saucepan and heat on medium heat, covered. Heat until the apples are nice and soft. Stir Occasionally.

Thought-provoking, mind-prodding question of the day:

If you had to choose either the crust of the pie or the insides, what would you choose?
I love the insides. Just make me some pie in a bowl!
Psst! Don’t forget to enter my Agar giveaway HERE.

Crazy for Agar Agar

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I finally found it! I have been on a quest to find agar agar flakes/powder ever since Katie wrote about the wonderful pudding and creams you can make.

While I was playing in a tournament over Thanksgiving, I came across a wonderful Hong Kong Market. They sold anything imaginable there: spiky fruits, seafood, dried seafood, chopsticks, and even purple sweet potatoes (we’ll talk more about this one later)!!!

I scoured the aisles for agar, and I found it for a good price. At the health food store they were going to charge me $20 for a package of agar agar, but at the Hong Kong market I bought it for $1.50. Yeah, I definitely bought more than one pack!

Agar Agar Base

~This is the base you use to make any of the treats listed below!

Ingredients

  • 1 teaspoon agar agar powder (if you are using agar agar flakes, use 1 Tablespoon)
  • 2 cups of liquid (juice or milk substitute)
  • Optional: add ins like vanilla extract, cocoa powder, chocolate chips, fruit chunks, nuts, be creative!

In a saucepan, heat up the liquid (not boiling), then add the agar agar. Stir well and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, and simmer, stirring often, for about 5 minutes or until the agar has dissolved.

Next, pour the liquid into a container and place in the refrigerator. Let the agar base set for about 20 minutes until jelly-like.

Note: It does not thicken while heated. The mix only thickens if chilled. The first time I made this I expected it to thicken like regular pudding, so I kept adding more and more agar agar. When I put it in the fridge, it was rick-solid!

You can make Vegan Fruit-Sweetened Jello…

Orange Jello with fresh citrus. I made this by using orange juice as the liquid and adding fresh clementine chunks.

You can make Pudding…

Chocolate pudding. Made by making a vanilla-base and blending in cocoa powder after it was set.

You can make Whipped Cream…

Strawberry Cream atop Bitter Chocolate Cake for One. I made this cream by blending frozen strawberries into the agar base.

 

You can make Vegan Yogurt…

Meg made this wonderful vegan yogurt by mixing a probiotic capsule into the agar base. Brilliant, Meg! Can’t wait to try this!

You can make some yourself…

I am going to giveaway one of my packets of agar agar powder to one lucky winner, so you don’t have to score the aisles of every grocery store. Each packet contains  25 servings of agar. This will make about 13 cups of jello, pudding, yogurt, or whipped cream. Think of this as a Christmas giveaway 🙂

To enter:

  1. Leave a comment telling me what you would make first with the agar agar powder
  2. Become a fan of Spoonful of Sugar Free on Facebook, and leave a comment back here telling me.
  3. Subscribe to me by email by entering your email address in the box to the right. Leave a comment here telling me you did.
  4. Answer these questions for fun and more entries!
    1. What is your favorite holiday treat?
    2. How are you spending the Holidays?

The Giveaway ends this Friday the 17th. Good Luck! THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.

Test Time! Are You Ready?

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End of the year.

Time to take final exams.

ACT.

SAT.

Midterms.

(Insert test of choice here)

You’ve studied all you can (hopefully!) and now the test day arrives.

Are you ready?

Get Plenty of Sleep
Dress in Layers
Bring lots and lots of #2 pencils (and erasers because everyone makes mistakes 😉 )
Wear a Watch!
Be hydrated! (But not too hydrated, you don’t want to have to go to the bathroom in the middle of the test!)

Eat Brain Food!

 

Cacao Nibs
Eggs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Salmon
Almonds

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now relax, breathe and ace that test!

Thought-provoking, mind-prodding question of the day:

What are your favorite test-taking tips? Do you have any “brain foods” you like to eat?